The year began, and ended, with poor crop prices, leaving farmers struggling to make money in what some call the “low-price environment.”
But 2015 also brought record-high cattle prices and declining fuel prices. And as always, weather and Washington, D.C., played a big role in Upper Midwest agriculture.
Here’s a quick look back at some of the most notable trends, issues and developments in area ag:
January
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Cattle prices soar to levels that experts describe as “phenomenal” and “once in a lifetime.” Prices decline later in the year, but remain strong by historic standards.
Complaints about slow and substandard rail service, a dominant issue in 2014, grow less common.
A federal judge restores endangered species protection to gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan - and ranchers howl in protest.
February
More young faces are seen in area ag: farmers, ranchers and others. A fresh crop of aggies is taking root.
South Dakota’s thriving dairy industry is seen as a potential model to revitalize North Dakota’s long-declining dairy sector.
Poor crop prices encourage producers to take a closer look at niche crops such as buckwheat and lentils that could offer higher returns than major crops.
March
Farmers, Farm Service Agency officials and extension service specialists keep working to understand ARC and PLC, the new cornerstone safety-net programs created by the 2014 farm bill.
In a rare crop insurance conviction, a judge in Fargo, N.D., sentences two potato farming brothers to federal prison.
The North Dakota Legislature approves exemptions to the state’s anti-corporate farming ban, a change intended to boost investment in dairy and swine operations. The North Dakota Farmers Union later collects enough signatures to put the measure on the June 2016 ballot.
April
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Planting gets off to a good start in much of the Upper Midwest - a welcome change after wet, late springs in several previous years.
The controversial Waters of the U.S., or WOTUS, proposal, generates strong opposition from a wide range of ag groups. Late in the year, WOTUS opponents fail to win enough support in the U.S. Senate to overturn the proposal.
RD Offutt Co., the world’s largest potato producer, is criticized over a snafu involving Minnesota water permits. The company says it was unfairly accused of being a poor environmental steward.
May
Bird flu worsens. Minnesota’s turkey industry is especially hard hit, and turkey operations in the Dakotas are hit, too. The industry works hard to respond; late in the year, Minnesota lifts the final quarantines on farms affected by bird flu.
New Zealand officially recognizes animals as “sentient beings.” The designation illustrates the difference in how animal rights supporters and livestock producers view animals.
June
Member-owners of North Central Farmers Elevator and Wheat Growers vote down a proposal to merge the two South Dakota-based grain companies. Supporters say a merger would make the organization more competitive; opponents argued farmers would have fewer marketing opportunities and pay higher input costs.
Ag groups and food companies continue to push for a national law to replace what they say would be a confusing, costly maze of state labeling laws that cripple the use of genetically-modified food.
July
Concern over herbicide-resistant weeds continues to grow. Farmers increasingly recognize the need to use multiple strategies to deal with weeds.
Area crops generally fare well, though many farmers say their fields are turning dry.
G3 Canada Ltd. is officially born. The new company combines Bunge Canada with CWB, formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board.
August
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A mostly dry month benefits the wheat harvest; overall wheat yields and quality are good. But fields of many still-developing crops, including corn and soybeans, come up short on moisture.
CHS announces it’s scrapping plans to build a multi-billion-dollar fertilizer plant in Spiritwood, N.D. The cooperative says a number of factors, including cost and estimated time of completion, led to the decision. September
September
Row crop harvest gets off to strong start, thanks to favorable weather.
Area farmers finish the year-long process of studying, enrolling in and signing up for ARC and PLC. But there are complaints about mistakes and inequities in payments through the programs.
Despite poor crop prices, the job outlook for college ag students remains bright. Many factors, including a wave of retiring baby-boomer agriculturalists, are responsible.
October
Many row crop farmers wrap up harvest ahead of schedule. Producers
generally report good yields, but say they would have been even better with a timely August rain.
An arm of the World Health Organization links processed meat and red meat with cancer. But many scientists, including some unaffiliated with the meat industry, say the evidence isn’t strong enough to support that conclusion.
November
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The Environmental Protection Agency releases the long-delayed
Renewable Fuel Standard mandates. Corn growers and others say EPA set the mandates much too low.
Early winter is unusually mild, in part because the weather pattern known as El Nino is exceptionally powerful. But El Nino often brings dry weather, too, raising concern about moisture for the 2016 growing season.
December
Country-of-origin labeling, or COOL, continues to generate controversy in U.S. ag circles.
Farmers and landlords begin to renegotiate expiring farmland rental agreements. Experts say overall rental rates have peaked and will come down, although how much and how fast they’ll decline will vary.
Crop prices remain poor. Farmers say they will struggle to make a profit in 2016, even if they enjoy good yields.